Data / Rankings / Population / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by population

Charlotte, NC had the highest population of 93 cities in 2024, at 944,053. Aberdeen, NC had the lowest, at 9,595. The median was 21,803 and the figure for North Carolina was 11.05 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest944,053Charlotte, NC
Lowest9,595Aberdeen, NC
Median21,80393 cities
North Carolina11,052,061History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Charlotte, NC: 944,053 personsCharlotte, NC944,053Raleigh, NC: 499,017 personsRaleigh, NC499,017Greensboro, NC: 306,355 personsGreensboro, NC306,355Durham, NC: 300,834 personsDurham, NC300,834Winston-Salem, NC: 255,646 personsWinston-Salem, NC255,646Fayetteville, NC: 209,047 personsFayetteville, NC209,047Cary, NC: 182,173 personsCary, NC182,173Wilmington, NC: 125,438 personsWilmington, NC125,438High Point, NC: 118,341 personsHigh Point, NC118,341Concord, NC: 112,733 personsConcord, NC112,733Greenville, NC: 95,255 personsGreenville, NC95,255Asheville, NC: 95,149 personsAsheville, NC95,149Gastonia, NC: 85,872 personsGastonia, NC85,872Apex, NC: 75,762 personsApex, NC75,762Jacksonville, NC: 72,656 personsJacksonville, NC72,656Huntersville, NC: 67,037 personsHuntersville, NC67,037Chapel Hill, NC: 63,379 personsChapel Hill, NC63,379Burlington, NC: 61,523 personsBurlington, NC61,523Kannapolis, NC: 60,731 personsKannapolis, NC60,731Wake Forest, NC: 56,614 personsWake Forest, NC56,614Mooresville, NC: 55,500 personsMooresville, NC55,500Rocky Mount, NC: 55,201 personsRocky Mount, NC55,201Wilson, NC: 49,411 personsWilson, NC49,411Holly Springs, NC: 48,508 personsHolly Springs, NC48,508Fuquay-Varina, NC: 46,224 personsFuquay-Varina, NC46,224Hickory, NC: 45,222 personsHickory, NC45,222Indian Trail, NC: 43,962 personsIndian Trail, NC43,962Monroe, NC: 40,154 personsMonroe, NC40,154Garner, NC: 39,306 personsGarner, NC39,306Salisbury, NC: 36,651 personsSalisbury, NC36,651Goldsboro, NC: 34,898 personsGoldsboro, NC34,898Leland, NC: 34,350 personsLeland, NC34,350Cornelius, NC: 34,325 personsCornelius, NC34,325New Bern, NC: 34,210 personsNew Bern, NC34,210Sanford, NC: 33,120 personsSanford, NC33,120Morrisville, NC: 32,544 personsMorrisville, NC32,544Matthews, NC: 32,068 personsMatthews, NC32,068Clayton, NC: 31,642 personsClayton, NC31,642Statesville, NC: 31,142 personsStatesville, NC31,142Mint Hill, NC: 28,841 personsMint Hill, NC28,841Charlotte, NC: 944,053 personsCharlotte, NC944,053Raleigh, NC: 499,017 personsRaleigh, NC499,017Greensboro, NC: 306,355 personsGreensboro, NC306,355Durham, NC: 300,834 personsDurham, NC300,834Winston-Salem, NC: 255,646 personsWinston-Salem, NC255,646Fayetteville, NC: 209,047 personsFayetteville, NC209,047Cary, NC: 182,173 personsCary, NC182,173Wilmington, NC: 125,438 personsWilmington, NC125,438High Point, NC: 118,341 personsHigh Point, NC118,341Concord, NC: 112,733 personsConcord, NC112,733Greenville, NC: 95,255 personsGreenville, NC95,255Asheville, NC: 95,149 personsAsheville, NC95,149Gastonia, NC: 85,872 personsGastonia, NC85,872Apex, NC: 75,762 personsApex, NC75,762Jacksonville, NC: 72,656 personsJacksonville, NC72,656Huntersville, NC: 67,037 personsHuntersville, NC67,037Chapel Hill, NC: 63,379 personsChapel Hill, NC63,379Burlington, NC: 61,523 personsBurlington, NC61,523Kannapolis, NC: 60,731 personsKannapolis, NC60,731Wake Forest, NC: 56,614 personsWake Forest, NC56,614Mooresville, NC: 55,500 personsMooresville, NC55,500Rocky Mount, NC: 55,201 personsRocky Mount, NC55,201Wilson, NC: 49,411 personsWilson, NC49,411Holly Springs, NC: 48,508 personsHolly Springs, NC48,508Fuquay-Varina, NC: 46,224 personsFuquay-Varina, NC46,224Hickory, NC: 45,222 personsHickory, NC45,222Indian Trail, NC: 43,962 personsIndian Trail, NC43,962Monroe, NC: 40,154 personsMonroe, NC40,154Garner, NC: 39,306 personsGarner, NC39,306Salisbury, NC: 36,651 personsSalisbury, NC36,651Goldsboro, NC: 34,898 personsGoldsboro, NC34,898Leland, NC: 34,350 personsLeland, NC34,350Cornelius, NC: 34,325 personsCornelius, NC34,325New Bern, NC: 34,210 personsNew Bern, NC34,210Sanford, NC: 33,120 personsSanford, NC33,120Morrisville, NC: 32,544 personsMorrisville, NC32,544Matthews, NC: 32,068 personsMatthews, NC32,068Clayton, NC: 31,642 personsClayton, NC31,642Statesville, NC: 31,142 personsStatesville, NC31,142Mint Hill, NC: 28,841 personsMint Hill, NC28,841
persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024
persons		Change on 2023
1Charlotte, NC944,053+2.8%
2Raleigh, NC499,017+1.7%
3Greensboro, NC306,355+1.1%
4Durham, NC300,834+1.9%
5Winston-Salem, NC255,646+0.9%
6Fayetteville, NC209,047-0.3%
7Cary, NC182,173+0.8%
8Wilmington, NC125,438+1.5%
9High Point, NC118,341+0.9%
10Concord, NC112,733+2.1%
11Greenville, NC95,255+1.7%
12Asheville, NC95,149-0%
13Gastonia, NC85,872+1.7%
14Apex, NC75,762+4.4%
15Jacksonville, NC72,656+2.3%
16Huntersville, NC67,037+2.9%
17Chapel Hill, NC63,379+0.7%
18Burlington, NC61,523+2%
19Kannapolis, NC60,731+2%
20Wake Forest, NC56,614+4.3%
21Mooresville, NC55,500+3.1%
22Rocky Mount, NC55,201+0.5%
23Wilson, NC49,411+0.5%
24Holly Springs, NC48,508+4.5%
25Fuquay-Varina, NC46,224+5.2%
26Hickory, NC45,222+1.4%
27Indian Trail, NC43,962+2%
28Monroe, NC40,154+5.7%
29Garner, NC39,306+10.3%
30Salisbury, NC36,651+1.3%
31Goldsboro, NC34,898+0.9%
32Leland, NC34,350+9.5%
33Cornelius, NC34,325+2.9%
34New Bern, NC34,210+1.3%
35Sanford, NC33,120+2.8%
36Morrisville, NC32,544+1.7%
37Matthews, NC32,068+2.9%
38Clayton, NC31,642+4.6%
39Statesville, NC31,142+2.9%
40Mint Hill, NC28,841+2.9%
41Kernersville, NC28,688+2.2%
42Asheboro, NC28,038+0.8%
43Thomasville, NC27,644+0.9%
44Waxhaw, NC23,205+0.2%
45Shelby, NC22,829+3.4%
46Clemmons, NC22,455+1.1%
47Knightdale, NC21,803+6.8%
48Carrboro, NC20,958-1%
49Mebane, NC20,683+2%
50Harrisburg, NC20,396+2.1%
51Boone, NC20,042-1.5%
52Lexington, NC19,933+0.9%
53Kinston, NC19,605+0.8%
54Elizabeth City, NC19,379+1.1%
55Graham, NC19,320+5%
56Lumberton, NC18,955-0.1%
57Mount Holly, NC18,762+1.8%
58Pinehurst, NC18,487+0.3%
59Lenoir, NC18,330+0.2%
60Hope Mills, NC18,058+0.1%
61Morganton, NC17,830+0.6%
62Stallings, NC17,622+2%
63Albemarle, NC17,451+2.6%
64Havelock, NC17,4480%
65Southern Pines, NC17,027+1.4%
66Wendell, NC16,786+16.2%
67Davidson, NC16,332+2.5%
68Belmont, NC16,195+2.1%
69Hendersonville, NC15,730+1.2%
70Eden, NC15,473+0.7%
71Henderson, NC15,033+0.6%
72Laurinburg, NC14,929-0.2%
73Reidsville, NC14,703+0.7%
74Roanoke Rapids, NC14,588-0.5%
75Weddington, NC14,408+2%
76Lewisville, NC14,199+1.1%
77Newton, NC13,600+1.3%
78Smithfield, NC12,806+2.6%
79Lincolnton, NC12,345+1.7%
80Archdale, NC12,197+0.6%
81Kings Mountain, NC11,9650%
82Rolesville, NC11,838+4.2%
83Pineville, NC11,591+3%
84Elon, NC11,286+1%
85Summerfield, NC11,272+0.9%
86Spring Lake, NC11,174-0.4%
87Tarboro, NC10,963+0.3%
88Winterville, NC10,892+0.6%
89Waynesville, NC10,731+0.9%
90Mount Airy, NC10,676+0.5%
91Zebulon, NC10,474+11.1%
92Morehead City, NC9,969+0.7%
93Aberdeen, NC9,595+0.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón).
  • Norway: Statistics Norway, 1 January.
  • Iceland and its municipalities: Statistics Iceland, 1 January.
  • United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July.
  • United Kingdom regions and local authorities: Office for National Statistics estimates for 30 June.
  • Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
  • UN World Population Prospects estimates for 1 July cover the years before 1960 and the areas the World Bank does not publish, such as Taiwan.

The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals) (Cities in North Carolina by population, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/

MLA 9

Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in North Carolina by population, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 May 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2024. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Cities in North Carolina by population, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2024.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in North Carolina by population, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in North Carolina by population, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2024. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in North Carolina by population, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/14
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/north-carolina-cities?period=2024.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in North Carolina by population using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest population?

Charlotte, NC, with 944,053 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population?

Aberdeen, NC, with 9,595 in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Population: other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings